Posts by David Meni

David Meni is a graduate student studying urban policy at GW. He is currently a research assistant at the GW Institute of Public Policy (GWIPP), where he focuses on poverty and social programs. He enjoys staying active in local advocacy organizations, cycling around the DC region, attending poetry readings, and playing the trumpet. David lives in Columbia Heights.

Details and analysis are still coming out about the new GOP tax bill, and there's a lot that applies to homeownership, affordable housing, local budgets, and cities in general. Here’s what we know so far about how it will impact the Washington region. Keep reading…

We often think about housing subsidies as money the government gives to low-income people to help them pay for a place to live. But the US actually gives far more housing aid via the tax code through deductions that go mainly to the country’s highest earners. Keep reading…

Airbnb listings, especially “commercial listings” by hosts who own multiple properties, mean fewer homes people can live in for the long term. That can cause city-wide ripple-effects on rent increases, according to a new study from the DC Working Families Party. Keep reading…

It’s almost the first of the month, and that means rent’s due. That rent or mortgage check is the single biggest expense in most Americans’ budgets, so it’s no wonder that Congress directs a ton of federal dollars to housing. But what should be surprising—and infuriating—is that a lot of this support goes to housing the wealthy, while very little… Keep reading…

Though it’s only a few blocks south and west from the epicenter of new restaurants and high rise apartments in neighboring Navy Yard, Buzzard Point has largely gone undeveloped. That’s going to change soon, including at Buzzard Point Park, where the National Park Service (NPS) is asking the public for its ideas on how to best use the space. Keep reading…

For a number of years now, Google Maps has let you check out the buildings and topography of most medium to large cities, and increasingly even smaller towns, in 3D — but not DC. Now, nearly all of the District and parts of Arlington come in three dimensions.
Keep reading…

If you’ve biked down N Street just north of Thomas Circle recently, your ride may have been more convenient than it used to be thanks to new contraflow lanes. Even though the lanes only stretch two blocks on either side of 14th street, they provide valuable new options for travelling east-west in this part of downtown. Keep reading…

It’s sad that Metro has gotten so decrepit that months-long shutdowns and single-tracking are necessary. But they are. And kudos to Metro for admitting this and coming up with a detailed plan to fix it.
Keep reading…

If you live in DC, it can be pretty easy to become disenchanted with national politics — especially in this election cycle. National is the operative word, though! Here are five reasons it’s worth engaging in DC’s local politics, from the ballot box to the community forum.
1. Voting in DC still matters
Washington, DC attracts people from all over the country. Keep reading…